#1 rule of PDT, is don't talk about PDT.#2 Members who post about drinking after more than 48 hours have passed shall be hazed.#3 must drink once for a person who "CHEERS" at the end of a post, and once for a NAME + "CHEERS" anywhere in post.#4 when you see "Remembrance!" at the end of a post, raise your glass and drink, you patriot!!#5 Ring for the Ars fallen.

I have put together the web site for the distilled spirits council of Vermont (http://distilledvermont.org/). This evening, I got to sample some of the distilled spirits...

To be fair, I've had Whistlepig Rye (good, if you like rye, though wicked expensive). Today, I sampled an elderflower cordial. It was sweetened with honey, and was thoroughly disgusting. If you like mead, maybe it would go over well, but I don't care for mead. If I want a sweet, after-dinner wine, I'll stick with ruby port.

Just had a glass of Laphroaig 10 at the bar. I now understand what the hype was all about. God damn that was a good glass of scotch.

How did you have it? Neat? ice?

That one took some warming up, and by warming up I mean two glasses and I was hooked on the peat. I have it with a splash of ice water and I'm good.

++

I have just a little bit left in my bottle and I'm savoring it.. Mmm, maybe I'll go get a glass now.

Back to Gin. I mentioned I was looking around to a friend and he said his favorite was either Plymouth or Citadelle. Anybody have any experience with either of those? He said Citadelle runs around $20 and Plymouth $24.

Drove over to Grand Rapids this weekend for the Founders KBS release. It was a bit of a cluster fuck, but generally a success. Founders' releases have been setup historically such that a line forms and they start selling at 11 am when they open, usually handing out numbered tickets to those in line about an hour before they start to sell. KBS is been released in 12 oz bottles and brew pub sales have been limited to a case per person. Because it's aged, this year's batch of KBS was brewed before the recent brewery expansion, but was nonetheless expected to be a bit larger than the 250 cases that were available last year.

Last year, you got a case if you showed up by about 9 am. At the CBS release in October, I showed up at 8:30 and ended up being about number 470 or so out of 750 total sales. General internet consensus was that anyone showing up by 7 should be OK. Cause I had to drive over, my plan was to be in line by 5. I showed up a bit before 5 and was clearly at least 300 places back. It was difficult to tell just how far back I was because most of the people at the front of the line, who'd gotten there at midnight or earlier, had tents set up. I wasn't very optimistic, but I decided to hang out until tickets were handed out and I knew whether I was in or out. People started streaming in after me, and by 6:30 or 7, the line lapped the entire block. At that point, people were still showing up, but you saw more and more people just drive off after they realized there was no way they were getting any. Some people decided they'd start a line for the tap room which opened at 11.

In the end, Founders decided to cut the originally stated one case limit in half to 12 bottles. I believe they had 315 cases in all, so 630 people left with beer. I ended up in the 380s, so I went home with some. Of course, the some of the first 315 people who were there sometime before 4 felt jilted out of half a case; but other than some grumbling at the time and some general internet tough guy comments after the fact, everything seemed to go smoothly. Of course, anyone who showed up after about 6:15 in the morning walked away empty handed (though I'm sure some enjoyed it in the taproom).

I had a great time. Met some cool people in line who I got to share some Russian River stuff I picked up in CA a couple of weeks ago with. And I got to try some great beers I hadn't had before, including Zombie Dust, Coffee BCBS, and Dark Horse Plead the 5th. Plus Founders had some great special stuff on tap, especially the Barrel Aged Sumatra Mountain Brown (a version of a special Brown Ale they've been doing, this one with coffee). Due to my own stupidity and not rechecking the weather report Friday night before I left, I was probably a lot closer to getting hypothermia than I'd like to admit. But once the sun came up it warmed up pretty quickly.

If everything is done the same way next year, I doubt I'd do it again. The retail distribution within the state has always been extremely limited. I only got one bottle last year, and that was because I'm loyal to my local liquor store. There's a chance I'll be out of the distribution area entirely this time next year, so I wanted to be sure I would get some this year. Due to the brewery expansion, next year's batch should be about 3 times as large, but people will probably be lining up a day in advance if they keep the same system. Hopefully Founders can come up with a system in the future so that people will at least be able to have some certainty that they can buy some before they make a trek from however far away.

Thanks for the write up, JHS. I managed a case last year at our local beer distributor in Northeast, PA. He doubts that he'll be selling any out the front door this year. Looks like I'll be bottle shopping over the next few weeks.

Went to Au Cheval (the next trend in Chicago is apparently fancy takes on diners). I had an interesting drink (the food was really good too):

Strange Brew

From death & co by thomas waugh

martin miller's gin, pineapple, lemon, ipa

Oh, interesting.

Was just across the street at Girl & the Goat last night and were saying how we needed to try that place. Oh, and the food was good but the mixed drink were kind of meh in my opinion at GATG. Seemed like everything had bitters.

Went to Au Cheval (the next trend in Chicago is apparently fancy takes on diners). I had an interesting drink (the food was really good too):

Strange Brew

From death & co by thomas waugh

martin miller's gin, pineapple, lemon, ipa

Oh, interesting.

Was just across the street at Girl & the Goat last night and were saying how we needed to try that place. Oh, and the food was good but the mixed drink were kind of meh in my opinion at GATG. Seemed like everything had bitters.

Does anyone here have drunk heroes? You know, people who, despite everything else going on (likely as a result of their drinking habits) you just admire them in that strange way you don't exactly want to admit exists in yourself? Yes? No? Well, I do, and this guy just made it to the top of my list.

So my friend at the Stuffed Sandwich had some Avery Barrel Aged Sour's that she had found in storage. Offered them to me at $17.95 a bottle. Them being one off sours, I had to buy them. This is the first one I am drinking.

If any of you have the opportunity to get beer by a small microbrew called Bull Jagger, I highly recommend it. (www.bulljagger.com) It was the only brewery we toured on my bachelor party not to exclusively use ringwood yeast. Ringwood is good, but when you've had something north of 30 beers over the course of 4 days, all of which use the stuff it gets to be monotonous.

I had a bit of a Michigan beer adventure this weekend, driving up to Traverse City on Friday to go to Jolly Pumpkin and Right Brain, and then heading to Bellaire on Saturday to hit Short's Anniversary party.

Jolly Pumpkin (http://www.jollypumpkin.com) is a widely distributed brewery based out of Dexter, MI, with taprooms/restaurants in Ann Arbor and Traverse City. They specialize in Belgian styles. The brewery is also owned by the same group that owns North Peak Brewing and Wolverine Brewing Company. The restaurant in Traverse City is located about half way up the Old Mission Peninsula, which is comprised of rolling hills covered in cherry orchards (which are slowly being replaced by wine vineyards) and some obscene summer homes. The restaurant seemed to be a pretty popular place, with a 40 minute wait for a table at 7:30 when we showed up. While we waited, we watched the Tigers continue their mediocrity and I had a pint of Vicious by North Peak which was an adequate Wheat IPA, more citrusy than hoppy. For dinner I split an order of really good pulled pork nachos with my friend and had a good burger, along with a Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam (a wheat version of their Farmhouse Ale). My friend who was with me is not that much of a fan of Belgian styles, and I was driving so we headed out after dinner. If you happen to be in Traverse City and are looking for a place to eat I would suggest it.

After leaving Jolly Pumpkin drove back to town to Right Brain Brewery (http://www.rightbrainbrewery.com) which is in Traverse City proper. I had heard good things about Right Brain's offerings, but until recently their kegs only distribution has been limited to northern Michigan, and since they expanded I haven't been able to find it on tap locally. The brewery is oddly placed in a nondescript office building in the old wharehouse district. From the outside you can't tell it's there, and their interior space is kinda bland but they've appointed it nicely with a mix of bar height tables with stools and couches. They've also got a great selection of board games, though I'm not sure I have the stamina to play a game of Risk at a brewery. When I walked in a figured I'd start with a flight and go from there. Well in turns out their flights are six, six ounce pours so it committed me a little more than I was expecting. The six I had were:

Will Power Pale Ale: This was an easy drinking, light colored and bodied 5% pale ale with a touch of cascade hoppiness.

Spiny Norman IPA: A decent simcoe IPA, I didn't sense much of the piney notes they were selling me though.

Bogaert's Belgian Special: A medium weight belgian that wasn't all that special.

Shadow Watcher Stout: A solid, roasty, American Stout at 7%.

Lucky's Charming Robust Porter: This was my favorite beer of theirs. They add 8 pounds of Lucky Charms cereal to the boil apparently, not that I tasted it or saw any green clovers or purple horseshoes floating in it. Solid, full-bodied porter at 7.5%. I picked up a growler on the way out.

I also tried their trippel, but it wasn't anything special.

Their pricing was a little high, flights were $15 and their pints were all $5.25. They did seem to have a pretty well-populated Mug Club however, and the place had pretty good traffic. Like a lot of small Michigan breweries, they don't have a kitchen, so the only food is popcorn, chips and the like. I'd say it's worth stopping in if you're in the area, but not worth a trip on it's own.

Saturday morning, we got up and killed some time driving up the coast before heading to Short's. I've been in the Detroit area for about a decade now, and this is only really my second or third time getting north of Lansing or GR. It really is a lovely area (though I don't know that I'd like the winters). It's a mix of monied second homes and the culture that comes with it in places like TC and Charlevoix, golf courses of every level of quality and price, blue collar summer cotages on the inland lakes, and small to medium size farming operations.

Visiting Short's was the primary reason for the trip. Short's Brewing (http://www.shortsbrewing.com/) is a good-sized brewery that only distributes within Michigan (and they've stated that they never intend to expand further). I've been drinking a lot of Short's lately, as they brew a copius number of different beers. The owner/brewer Joe Short, who's only 35 or so, seems to want to experiment a lot, and pretty much everything he makes he's willing to bottle. It can be a bit hit or miss, but he does most things well, especially IPAs. Two beers of theirs I've had recently that I've really liked is Prolonged Enjoyment (a ~3.5% session IPA) and Freedom of '78 (a tart IPA that's brewed with Guava that was originally a collaboration with Half Acre). Short's is probably my favorite brewery at the moment, Founders may release more consistently excellent beers (except for Cerise), but Short's attitude and variety tips the scales in my eyes.

Saturday was the date of Short's 8 Anniversary Party, and event marked with a special beer release and an epic taplist (http://www.shortsbrewing.com/wp-content ... ty2012.jpg). The release was for Aww Jeah, a double IPA based off of Huma-lupa-licous, an IPA with a big hop flavor and aroma profile. 300 cases, brewery only. My friend and I showed up around 11:45 and there were only 10 or 15 people in line (thank god for Dark Lord Day), so we walked around Bellaire for a while to take in the sights and got back in line at about 12:15, by which time the line had grown to about 50. By one there was maybe 120 people in the line. Most people seemed to either be local or from downstate, though one group had come from Pennsylvania. It think they may have been from Troeggs, and this was then end of a whirlwind tour of Michigan breweries.

Aftger picking up a case, we went and found some lunch before returning to the pub for the opening at 3. We should have gotten to the pub earlier as by the time we got in all the seating was taken. Still a good time was had listening to the bands and enjoying good beer. Here's what I had:

Wizard: I probably shouldn't have had this first, but after I got to the bar upon getting in I found that the beers I wanted first were being served from firkins on the other side of the bar, so I picked this. A big barley wine that was the of the brewery's 666th batch (2009) and had been aging since. Strong and malty, with a lot of fig or plum fruit flavors. Good.

Aww Jeah: The double Huma served from a firkin. I find the hop profile to be much more on the bittering side than the flavor and nose of Huma. Good, but I'd say I like Hopslam or Pliny, or even Short's Liberator better. Still, cask beers sure are nice.

Bourbon Stellar Ale: Part of a flight. This was probably my favorite beer of the whole weekend. A bourbon barrel aged version of a beer Short's makes for a Traverse City restaurant. Having not had the normal Stellar Ale, I was surprised when I saw this. It's a lightly colored pale ale with a grapefruit like citrus quality. The bourbon barrel imparted more oakiness than bourbon to the beer. I'm not a good enough writer to really explain how much I enjoyed this.

Bourbon Aphasia: Part of a flight. A bourbon barrel aged old ale. The beer has a sweetness that i found similar to Founder's Curmudgeon, but I found the bouron influence to be more rich that the hotness that was present in Better Half. Nice.

Cinnamon Dopplebock: Part of a flight. When I read "cinnamon" I was envisioning the cinnamon spiciness of a Red Hot or something. The cinnamon was very subtle however, the most significant flavor of brown sugar present on the back end. Nice but not all that it was being made out to be by others.

'09 Mystery Stout: Part of a flight. "An imperial oatmeal stout brewed with cocoa and molasses." This was the biggest dissapointment for me. I had high hopes from it but it seemed to have aged poorly. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special.

Whiskey Happy Jack: Part of a flight. Scotch Ale made with smoked malt, aged in whiskey barrels. Really good, malty with a great whiskey warmth.

Mmm Kay: A heavily hopped lager made from the second runnings of Aww Jeah. Crisp and drinable with a heavy hop bouquet and flavor. I'm dissapointed I didn't bring how a growler of this, but I only have so much room for beer. Excellent.

Anniversary Ale: A Wheat Wine made with the juice of blood oranges. I'm not sure how much juice they add or when in the brewing process, but the amount of blood orange flavor is significant and the beer has a great deep copper color. Very Good.

Short's is kind of out of the way, but if you're ever traipsing around Northern Michigan, or heading up to the UP I'd consider stopping in. I'm hoping I can get back sometime when it's not so crowded.

I have been enjoying Ardbeg a lot lately. "Found" a bottle of Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist in my cabinet given to me four years ago by a good friend. Whoa. Probably one of the best single malts I have ever had. Trying to buy more now but it is out of production.

Had some Ardbeg Alligator today. Sweet tangy smoke. Not as good as the beast but interesting none the less. Trying to track down Ardbeg Supernova now.

Got a couple new bottles for my anniversary. A 12 year Redbreast which I haven't cracked open, and the Jameson rarest Vintage. The Jameson is outstanding, not something I'll use as a everyday drinker though. That's what my Jameson Black Barrel is for.

Just had a glass of Laphroaig 10 at the bar. I now understand what the hype was all about. God damn that was a good glass of scotch.

If you like that Laphroaig 10, you'll love this:

[photo of Lagavulin 16-year-old]

I don't think it's just a matter of peat.

Lagavulin 16-year-old = oysters, or at least it has some acute oiliness/savoriness to it. There's a time and place for Lagavulin, but if I want the simple taste of sweet peat, I'm likely to go with Laphroaig Quarter Cask or Benriach Curiositas more often than not. Nothing beats the combination of Laphroaig + properly dark chocolate.

Now of all the variations on Lagavulin, the 16-year is clearly the best. I prefer it to the 12-year cask strength and the PX finished Distiller's Edition by far.

Giant Microbe wrote:

Had some Ardbeg Alligator today. Sweet tangy smoke. Not as good as the beast but interesting none the less. Trying to track down Ardbeg Supernova now.

Inevitably, all these committee releases are going to taste a whole lot like the 10-year-old since they use a portion of it in the vatting. They're also going to be relatively young whiskies since all this experimentation was started by Bill Lumsden and others like him in the past couple of decades. I'm just going to say that Alligator tastes like the Islay equivalent of s'mores to me.

Inevitably, all these committee releases are going to taste a whole lot like the 10-year-old since they use a portion of it in the vatting. They're also going to be relatively young whiskies since all this experimentation was started by Bill Lumsden and others like him in the past couple of decades. I'm just going to say that Alligator tastes like the Islay equivalent of s'mores to me.

Yes s'mores is a good description. I have been on an Ardbeg kick lately. Talisker has typically been my favorite and I just had some of their 57 North-outstanding and powerful.

Tried the Ardbeg day which was good, reminded me of the Uigeadail. Supernova 2010 was striking with topsoil, moss, and peat effects. But you are right-ultimately there is the underlying diesel/citrus/cream that draws me to Ardbeg. The 10 year old is perfectly fine.

A bit late but I took my not-my-girlfriend out to Comme Ca in West Hollywood for Mother's day and had a Bruichladdich with a splash of water and it was SO good. It wasn't a peat monster like I usually drink but just smooth, slightly sweet and packed with flavor. I need me a bottle..